Hinge construction for upward acting doors



5. S. KATULSKI HINGE CONSTRUCTION FOR UPWARD ACTING DOORS Nov. 25, 1941.

Filed Sept 7.

Patented Nov. 25, 194i HINGE CONSTRUCTION FOR ACTING DOORS Stephen S. Katulski, Detroit,'Mich., assignor to Crawford Door Company, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Michigan Application September 7, 1940, Serial No. 355,800 7 c 8 Claims. (o1. 16-137) This invention relates to a hinge construction especially adapted for use on upward acting garage doors of the sectional type.

Specifically the invention relates to a hinge construction having mating parts held in operative relation by the hub of a door roller.

While the invention will be hereinafter specifically described in connection with a sectional type upward acting garage door, it should be understood that the hinges of this invention are generally adapted for articulately connecting pairs of movable members.

It is highly desirable to mount as much of the hardware as possible on garage doors as the same are assembled at a factory in order that installation of the doors in a garage or building can be speeded up. In garage doors of the sectional type it is therefore highly desirable to provide the door sections with hinges that can have the parts thereof mounted on the door sections at the factory and readily united to hingedly connect the sections at the place of installation of the door. I,

The present invention now provides hinges composed of mating parts each having a laterally projecting pin segment. The pin segments of each pair cooperate to form the hinge connection and are held in cooperating relation by merely slipping thereover the hub of a door roller.

It is, then, an object of this invention to provide hinges having hinge pin sections held together with the hub of a roller.

A further object of the invention is to provide hinges for upward acting doors having a pair of mating hinge pin sections adapted to be connected together in articulate relation with the hub of a door roller and serve as a support for the roller.

A specific object of the invention is to provide a hinge construction for sectional type upward acting garage doors adapted to be secured to the inner faces of the door sections and having pin portions projecting laterally from the door sections serving both as an articulate connection between the parts of the hinge and as a support for a door roller such as is used in mounting the door sections in the doorway.

Another object is to provide a hinge having a pair of separate elements each equipped with a complementary pivot pin section adapted to be held together by a sleeve so that the pins will rock relative to each other.

Other and further objects of the invention will of course be apparent from the following detailed description of the annexed sheet of drawings which, by way of example, illustrates a preferred embodiment of the invention.

On the drawing:

Figure 1 is an end elevational view of a pair of 7 door sectins hinged together with a hinge construction according to this invention and illustrating in dotted lines a door roller cooper ating with the hinge parts. a

Figure 2 is an end elevational View similar to Figure 1 illustrating the door sections in angular relation. 7 H p Figure 3 is an-inside elevational view taken along the line IIIIII of Figure 1. 7

Figure 4 is a vertical cross-sectional view taken along the line IV-IV of Figure 1. v t

Figure 5 is an exploded inside elevational view oithe mating hinge elements. a p

Figure 6 1s an end elevational View, with parts in vertical cross section, taken along the line VI-VI of Figure 5. I g Y As shown on the drawing:

In Figures 1 to 4 inclusive, the reference numerals I0 and II designateadjoining, door sections'or panels for upward acting garage doors. Since these 'door sections lo'and ll must tilt relative to each other" as the door moves from vertical closed position to horizontal overhead position, the bottom of' the. door "section II] is centrally recessed as at Illa. across the entire length of the section. A long front finger Hlb defines one side of the'recess lBa Whilea short rear finger lllc defines the other side of the recess. The finger Illc terminates at a level above the bottom of the finger 10b.

The top of the section I I has a central rounded bead Ila adapted to fit into the recess Illa of the section 10. The bead Ila extends down to a horizontal shoulder llb adapted to receive the bottom of the finger-10b when the door is in vertical position as shown in Figure l. The rear face of the bead- Ila terminates in a vertical shoulder 1 lo adapted to abut against the short finger 10c. ofthe top section In. of the door section II is beveled inwardly as at lid to the bottom of the vertical shoulder Ilc. This groove and bead construction on adjoining door panels permits articulation of the door panels relative to each other as illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 and at the same time holds the struction provide an eflicient weatherstripjseal when the door is in closed vertical position.

The inner face The leg I2b is apertured for receiving. screws I6" therethrough to unite the bracket to the door section.

The leg I2a depends beneathjthe bottom ofl the leg I 2b as shown and has an inclined bottom edge I2c sloping downwardly from the inner face of the door to a point about midway between the fingers Illb and I00. At this point, the bottom edge of the leg IZa extends horizontally as at IZd toward the outer face ofthe door.

The bottom portion of the leg I Zacarries apin I1 whichprojects laterally outward-fromthe leg and anchored at its inner endby means'of a weld such as I8 (Figure 4). V

The pin I! has a semi-cylindrical top wall Ila, a-ho'rizontal bottom wall I-7b flush with the bottom edge I 2d of the leg IZa -a-nd-an inclined bottom side-wall Ilc flush-withthe inside edge I-2c of the leg.

Thehi-nge portion I 3 is=composed of an angle bracket having aleg l3a -extending over the side edge of the door section II and a-leg -I3b extending over the inner face of the door section" II. The leg I3b is apertured to receive screws such as I6 therethrough which unite the anglebracket to the door section. The'leg' l3a over theside edge of the door extends above the leg [31) and has an inclined top edge I3cextending upwardly and outwardly from the innerface of the door section II to the'longitudinal'center of the bead Ila. The top of the leg l3a then" continues outwardlyalong a horizontal line I311 to the outer edge of the leg.

The top I3d-of the bracket I 3*isadapted'to abut against the bottom I2d of the bracket I2 when the door sections are in vertical alignment as shown in Figure 1. Likewise the inclineditop" portion I30 of the bracket I3 is adapted to abut. against a bottom inclined portion I20 of, the bracket I2 when the doors are in angular'relationas shown in Figure 2.

The leg l3a of the bracket l3 carries a pin I'9' with a segmental cylindrical bottom wall [9a,- a horizontal top wall I9b flush with the top: I3d= of the leg and an inclined side wall I9c flush with the inclined portion I30 of the leg. The pin I9 is integrally united with the leg l3a at the junc-' tion point between the top edges I3c and l3d thereof by means of a weld 20'.

The pins I1 and I9 have the surfaces -;IIb and:

trols the maximum angular .movement between thedoor sectionsI-O and II in cooperation with the angular relation between the edges I 2d and We ofethe bracket tZ and the edges Rd and P30 of the bracket. #3.- I

The hub I4 of the roller I5 is disposed around the segmental cylindrical surfaces Ma and I9a of the pins to hold the pins together for effecting a swivel connection between the hinge brackets I2 and I3.

The hub I4 has a relatively easy fit around the pins I1 and I9 so that the roller can be readily mounted for articulately connecting the hinge brackets.

The roller I5 can be of any known roller construction including a tread portion I5a adapted to ride in the usual door tracks (not shown). As illustrated in Figure 4, the roller I5 is. equipped with ball bearings I5b rotatably mountedina groove I'4a provided in the hub I4. Thetread'port'ion' l'5a of the roller I5 thus freely rotates around the hub I4.

The: hingei constructions of this invention therefore each comprise a, pair of mating angle brackets adapted to be secured to the inner' face of adjoining: door sections orlpanels and each having legs or. flanges extending from the inner face of the :doorsectionsi-or panel's. overthe side edges of the panels. Each flange or leg carries a laterally projecting" pin" which serves asa support for' the usual door roller-of upward act--- ing. door constructions and which also serves as meansforfi swivell-y uniting the angle brackets.

Thehinge brackets ofthisinvention can be united on the door panels or sections atthe factory, and thedoor' panels-- or sections can be shipped with the hardware" thereon.- The panels.

or sections are articulately connected as the same are installed on the job by merely sliding the hubs ofthe d'oor rollers over pairs of mating pins.

'The'hubs -I4-0fthe door rollers I5 are preferably elongated and project inwardly from the tread portion I5a ofthe rollers in order that therolle'rs can-slide-toward and away from the sides of the'doord'ue'to variations in alignment of thetrackswithout moving off-of the pins.

While the contacting surfaces of the pins are illustrated as being angularly disposed flat walls, it should be-understoodthat curved surfaces could be used: The angularly disposed flat walls are preferable; however, in that they provide area contact betweenthe pins when the door panels are in vertical alignment or in maximum angularr'elation. Curved'surfaces on the pins, on the other hand, would only provide line contact therebetween during all positions of the pins.

It will, of course, beunderstood that various details of construction may be'varied through a wide range without departing from the principles of this invention and it is, therefore, not the purppseto limit the patent granted hereon otherwise than necessitated by the scope of the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. A. hinge adapted for uniting door sections of upward acting doors comprising a pair of angle plates each having a leg adapted to be disposed over the inner face of a .door section for fixed connection therewith and each having a second leg adapted to be disposed over the side edge of the door-section; a pin oneach angle plate proj'ecting laterally from the second leg thereof, said pins having opposed surfaces adapted for rocking contact with each other, and a hubbed roller having the hub thereof disposedover said pins for swivelly connecting the angle plates.

2. A hinge constructioncomprising a pair, of angle plates each'having one leg thereof adapted to be secured to the inner face-of. a separate 3 member and-the other leg thereof "adapted to be disposed over the side edges of the members, said legs adapted for disposal over the side edges of the members extending beyond the secured legs and having opposed edges adapted to rock on each other, pins rojecting normally from said last mentioned legs having longitudinal faces aligned with said edges of the legs, and a sleeve member enveloping both pins whereby said angle plates are held in rockable relation to connect the members in articulate relation.

3. A hinge construction adapted to connect a pair of vertically disposed door sections comprising a plate member secured to a side edge of each door section and having a pin projecting laterally outward from the door sections, the pins of each plate having opposed surfaces adapted to rock over each other, and a door roller slidably mounted around said pins to hold the same in contacting relation and swivelly connect the plates, said pins supporting said roller on the door sections.

4. A hinge construction adapted for uniting a pair of door sections in an upward acting door which comprises a pair of angle plates each having a leg adapted to be disposed over the inner face of a door section for fixed connection therewith and each having a second leg adapted to be disposed over the side edge of the door section, a pin carried by each angle plate for projecting from the side edges of the door sections, and a sleeve disposed over both pins to swivelly unite the angle plates and thereby articulately join the door sections.

5. A hinge adapted for a sectional type door including a pair of adjacent door sections which comprises an angle plate having one leg thereof adapted to be disposed over the side edge of one section and the other leg thereof adapted to be disposed over the inner face of said section, means for uniting said other leg to said section, a second angle plate having one leg thereof adapted to be disposed over the side edge of the other door section and another leg adapted to extend over the inner face of said other section, means adapted for uniting said other leg of said second angle plate to said other door section, a pin on each angle plat-e projecting laterally rom the leg of the plate which is disposed over the side edge of the door section, said pins having opposed longitudinally extending surfaces adapted to rock on each other, and a hubbed door roller for mounting the door sections having the hub thereof disposed over both pins to swivelly unite the angle plates.

6. A hinge construction comprising a pair of plates having opposed edges adapted to rock on each other, pins projecting from said plates having longitudinal faces aligned with said edges, and a sleeve enveloping said pins to connect the plates in articulate relation.

-7. A hinge construction comprising a pair of abutting metal plates having opposed edge's each formed by two angularly related end rocking surfaces, a pin extending normally from each plate having two angularly related longitudinal faces aligned with said end rocking surfaces of the plates and having a segmental cylindrical face joining the divergent ends of said angularly related faces, and a sleeve enveloping both pins seated on said segmental cylindrical surfaces thereof to connect the plates in articulate relation whereby the plates can be swung within limits defined by the angularly related end rocking surfaces.

8. A hinge and roller support construction adapted for upward acting doors of the sectional type which comprises a pair of pins adapted to be secured to adjoining door sections and project laterally from the side edges thereof, and a door roller enveloping the pins to rockably connect the same for articulately joining the door sections while serving as a support for the roller.

STEPHEN S. KA'I'ULSKI. 

